May 11, 2010

Could you take care of Mom (or Dad) on top of your career?

• Post a comment |
• E-mail |
• Print
• • Share:
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

This past weekend, many of us spent time wining and dining our moms, burning up the phone lines with her, or honoring her memory. But how many of us in touch with our aging moms have broached the topic of whether we or someone else will care for her someday should she need it?

Not many, says Senior Helpers, a company that connects professional caregivers with seniors living at home.

In an online survey Senior Helpers recently commissioned, 70 percent of respondents said they had yet to discuss, research, or save their pennies to care for their aging mom.

It's not for lack of love or concern though, just a lack in preparation.

According to Senior Helpers, 66 percent of the 500 Gen X and Boomer adults polled said they'd be "comfortable" having dear old mom move in with them.

Apparently they're not the only ones.

In March, the Pew Research Center reported that thanks to recent job losses and home foreclosures, such multigenerational households are on the rise.

According to the Pew, in 1980 and 1990, 17 percent of adults 65 and older lived in a multigenerational family household. In 2008, the Pew said, that figure rose to 20 percent. In 42 percent of those homes, the grown child was the head of the household.

Anyone who's ever cared for an aging parent will tell you that it's a full-time job. They'll also tell you that holding down a full-time gig outside the home on top of your caregiver duties can be a Herculean feat.

When my mom moved both her ailing parents into her home some years ago, every spare moment she wasn't working, commuting, or sleeping was spent dealing with her parents' medical needs, errands, and paperwork. And that was with hiring an in-home caregiver to spend several hours a day tending to my grandparents. If ever there was a case of "I don't know how she does it," this was it.

Perhaps this is why when given the choice, 43 percent of respondents to the Senior Helpers poll said they'd prefer to leave their aging mother in her own home and hire a professional to care for her there, and just 28 percent said they'd opt to have their mom move in with them. (The numbers for those who'd choose to send their mom to an assisted living facility or nursing home were even lower: 25 percent and 4 percent, respectively.)

How about you? Have you given thought to who will care for your parents should the need arise -- and where? Have you crunched through the numbers yet? Have you considered quitting your job, reducing your hours, or moving closer to your parents (or in with them) to play caregiver? Have you already lived through such an experience? Do tell.

Michelle Goodman is the author of "My So-Called Freelance Life" and "The Anti 9-to-5 Guide." E-mail Michelle at mgoodman@nwjobs.com

• Post a comment |
• E-mail |
• Print
• • Share:
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Read more
older workers, work/life balance

0 Comments

Leave a comment

* required field

Your name: *

E-mail address: (Will not be displayed)

Your comment: *

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.